The Living Crystal
by thelostviolet
Summary: An earthquake reveals a strange woman who claims to have knowledge about the crystals and the inhabitants of the Land of the Lost.
1. Introduction

This is my first Land of the Lost Fanfiction (based on the 70s TV series) and I would love reviews!

This story takes place after the episode 'Blackout' of season 2 and before the season 3 premier 'Aftershock.'

I have loosely based off some points of this story off of the Doctor Who episode 'The Doctor's Wife.' However, you do not need to know off this episode or of Doctor Who at all to enjoy this story.

Disclaimer: Land of the Lost belongs to Sid & Marty Kroft. 


	2. Chapter 1

The night was slowly ending in the Land of the Lost. The dinosaurs started waking up from their sleep and started out the day munching on the nearest leaves or hunting for some meat. The sleestak were just about done hunting for the night and were returning to their tunnels in the lost city. The three moons that watched over the land were setting in the sky and the bright sun was slowly, but surely, rising. And the Marshalls were sleeping in their cave at high bluff and their alarm clock was just about to signal their awakening from their somewhat peaceful sleep.

It was an all over typical morning for the Land of the Lost.

* * *

><p>"Daddy, do I <em>have<em> to go get water _this_ early?" Holly asked as she begrudgingly gathered the two water canisters.

"Yes Holly, who knows if one of the weather pylons get messed up and it storms all day? And besides, what will we drink with our delicious breakfast Will is making this morning?"

"Awwww, but Dad….."

"No buts Will, Holly made it yesterday and now it's your turn."

Will Marshall sighed and then with a smirk on his face replied "Okay Dad, ANYTHING is better than Holly's cooking!"

"Ha Ha Will Marshall, you are so funny! At least going to get water lets me spend some time away from you!"

"Now stop you too! You both are getting older and that should mean that you two would grow out of this sort of thing." Rick Marshall said as he crossed his arms.

"Aw, but Dad, it's just too fun!" Will Marshall replied. He stuck his tongue out at Holly as she left and Holly replied with the same gesture and left the cave.

Rick Marshall shook his head at his children and went to get his notebook that he kept to keep track of what happened everyday in the Land of the Lost. He had no idea how long his family was going to be trapped in the Land and he intended to be prepared for anything that would happen. The only problem was that the Land of the Lost was anything but predictable, from the strange creatures that inhabited, like the Pakuni and the Sleestak, to those who were trapped within the Land, like The Zarn and Enik the Altrusian. There were also the pylons, strange trapezoidal pyramids which were bigger on the inside then they were on the outside, which contained a matrix table on which crystals of different sizes and color lay. If these crystals where put in a certain orders, they could control the Land of Lost's weather and could open time doorways in space and time into other dimensions. These very crystals were used by both good and evil of all kinds in the Land of the Lost's timeline to either help or hinder. However, these crystals were not like the normal quartz found on Earth. They were in their own way, alive and could influence the minds of the beings that inhabited the Land of the Lost. None of them had ever directly communicated with anyone who had ever lived in the Land of the Lost, because none of them had even alerted anyone to their presence. And neither the Marshalls, the Sleestaks, the Zarn, the Pakuni, nor even Enik knew about the crystals full power.

"Looks like another 'normal' day for the Land of the Lost. It seems we are still in summer season since it is this warm already this early in the day." Rick Marshall said as he estimated the temperature for the morning and wrote it down.

"Yeah. Dad, can you believe that we've been here for a whole year?"

"No Will, I can't. I felt for sure that we would have got out of here a while back. But like Enik said, the Time Doorways are very picky. And we saw that with The Zarn, the Land of the Lost has almost mind of its own, it wouldn't let him leave even when he was threatening to destroy it." Rick Marshall looked up from his journal into the jungle that lay beneath their cave. "Son, I'm starting to wonder if the only way we can leave this land is if the Land of the Lost wants us to."

* * *

><p>Holly Marshall trudged down to the river with the two canisters humming a tune. Even though she complained about having to go get the water, she was glad that her Father was letting her have some independence. When her family first arrived in the Land of the Lost she was made to stick close to her father or Will at all times. Now, she was growing up and she deserved some time by herself.<p>

Holly reached the river in a short amount of time. She stooped down to gather water in one o f the canisters. She couldn't remember what the song she was still humming was called and was thinking that she should ask whether Daddy or Will if they knew, when suddenly the ground shook.


	3. Chapter 2

Back at High Bluff Will was cutting up fruit for breakfast and Rick was sweeping the cave when the earthquake struck. The whole cave rumbled and the makeshift shelves the Marshalls had made fell over. Will and Rick stumbled around the cave trying to get a hold of something. As soon as the earthquake struck, it stopped.

"Are you okay son?" Rick Marshall asked as he slowly got back on his feet again.

"Yeah Dad, I'm fine. That was weird, the earthquakes usually last longer. That one only lasted about 20 seconds!"

"Yes, very odd. We better go check to see if Holly is okay, if something is wrong with one of the pylons, she shouldn't be out there alone to find out! Come on let's go!" With that Rick and Will left their cave and went off in search of Holly.

* * *

><p>Holly stood up slowly and wiped the dirt off of her pants. She looked around at her surroundings. Everything looked normal, but the Land of the Lost had fooled her before.<p>

"Well that sure was weird! I better grab the water and get back to Will and Daddy, they must be worried sick!"

Holly filled the two canisters with water from the river and grabbed them and turned around to head back to High Bluff. When she turned around she was startled to see a fuzzy figure standing slightly ahead of her.

"Hello?" Holly said tentatively.

The figure turned around. It was completely solid now. Holy could now see what the figure looked like. It was a young woman in a short white dress who looked about to be in her early 20s and she was about as tall as Will. She had shoulder length blonde hair that was a shade darker than Holly's and piercing blue eyes that seemed to be opened too wide. But probably the most bizarre quality that the young woman had was the fact that she was barefoot.

The young woman looked back at Holly "Hello? Is that how you greet people? Oh this is wonderful! I can speak words! Words! And the sky!" The young woman twirled around with her eyes stuck on the sky. "The sky has, well, never looked so different! Is that how you see it? It's missing a few of its colors, oh wait. I forgot the human vision cannot see as many spectrums of the color field as other organisms! Oh! Yes, as I was talking to you. Hello! Who are you?"

Holly stared at the strange woman, "Um…I'm Holly. Holly Marshall. What's your…."

"Holly Marshall? What a wonderful name! It just trips off the tongue like a poem! Holly Marshall, Holly Marshall….."

"Wait wait! You're talking to fast!"

"Am I? Oh! I'm very sorry, I'm just so…..so….I can't think of the word…..it's when you feel…..ahh…..I'm having a problem saying what it feels. It's sort of jumpy and good. Do you know what I mean?"

"Excited?"

"Is that what you call it? I'm not sure if they have the same meaning as what I'm feeling. But sure, I'm 'excited'. I'm sorry I need to relax a bit, I forget I'm not what I used to be and this body is feeling a little tired. So, Holly Marshall, what was it you were about to ask me?"

Holly had been staring at the odd woman trying to make sense of it all. She was talking way to fast! Holly had a friend back at her school named Fran who talked fast, but this was ridiculous! She was glad to see the woman had calmed down, but she was still trying to process everything she said.

Luckily, Rick and Will Marshall had just arrived to where Holly and the young woman were standing.

"Holly, are you okay?" Rick Marshall asked his daughter.

"Yeah, I'm fine…I think!"

"Who is this?" Will asked Holly as he stared at the young woman.

"I'm not sure….." The young woman replied then stared at all of the Marshall family.

"Did you just fall through a time doorway?" Rick Marshall asked as he held his daughter close, sensing there was something off about the woman.

"Oh no! I've been here for a long time! But never like this!" She spun around like a small child in a skirt and the dress spun our around her. "Whew! I'm dizzy! That's new." She glanced at the Marshalls were staring at her with a questioning look on their faces. "Oh, I'm terribly terribly sorry. You have questions you want to ask me! It's just, everything is so much….different! Holly Marshall, I believe you were going to ask me my name?"

"Uhhh, yeah I was. But I never got around to ask you that because you were talking. How did you know what I was going to say? Oh and, what is your name?"

"Ah! Very observant young Marshall! You see, I'm somewhat of a telepath; I can see into people's minds and read their thoughts. Though I have to say, I am much better at telling people's feelings. "

"Oh! Like Enik! He can read people's minds too!" Holly replied. Rick and Will just stood around confused at what was going on.

"Enik? You know him? He is just the Altrusian I am looking for! Can you take me to him?"

"Wait, wait, wait. Hold on here." Rick Marshall said as he waved his hands in front of his face.

"Hold? There is nothing to hold on to Rick Marshall!" The young woman said. "Oh! You mean stop talking! Okay." She closed her mouth for the first time and started at the Marshalls.

Rick Marshall put his hand over his face and slowly moved his hand down. The woman talked like an excited child but was obviously intelligent. E didn't know what to make of this new being in the Land yet. She didn't seem to be a threat so he decided they should stick around and learn more about her.

It was Holly who first spoke. "Okay, so you know who we are?"

"Correct. I wasn't sure what you looked like fully, but I knew you by your feelings and the emotions you gave off. You three are the Marshall family. Rick, Will, and Holly."

"You knew us by our emotions? What does that mean? How can you do that?" Will asked. He had been quiet so far, trying to figure out what had happened on his own.

"Yeah! And when I first met you, you said the human vision was different? Does that mean you're not human? What are you?" Holly spoke after Will had asked his questions, trying to not be outdone by his inquiries.

"Well, you see, this is not my real form. And as I told Rick Marshall earlier I've been here for a long time, eons even. I have many names; the Sleestak call us 'Fris'taky', the Pakuni call us 'Fuimana', the Altrusians call us 'Fourth Dimensional Nodes', and I believe you, Marshall family, call us 'Light Crystals'. I do not know my true name, nor do I think we even have one. We have always been and always will be throughout all of time and space. I can tell you by your emotions because that is how my kind tells organisms and individuals apart. We remember your deeds and what you will do. For we exist in the past, present, and future all at once, and in many different universes. I remember everything my brothers and sisters have seen because we share a collective memory, even though each of us is an individual with a separate memory to ourselves. We are very much alive." The young woman stared at the Marshall family with her blue eyes. "That, Marshall Family, is who I am."


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The Marshalls stared at the woman who was not a human, but who just claimed to be one of the crystals that were strewn across the land. Rick Marshall was the first to speak.

"Okay, so you are one of the crystals? And you are somehow connected to the other ones?"

"Yes," the woman replied, "We have a collective conciseness, and we share all of our memories. However, we each have our own thoughts and memories just like every individual."

"And you said you weren't a human, then why do you look like one?" Will Marshall asked. It had been almost a year since he had seen another girl around his age. He was hoping that she was wrong and that she was a human.

"Oh Will," the woman smiled, "I am not a human, though I am a female. I could have chosen any form in this land to suit my purpose, but this one I feel will prove the most useful. This is merely a temporary shell that I am using every amount of my strength to produce. I am very far from this point of the land, I might even be in a different point in time or universe, and it is very difficult to tell. Though now I know you are here, and I know that Enik is here, because he is the reason for my being here."

"Your purpose? Enik? Tell us, what is your purpose for being here?" Rick said he was starting to get tired of the answers; they only seemed to lead to more questions.

Before the answer could be given, a loud roar was issued too close for comfort near the Marshalls and the woman.

"Oh no! Grumpy!" Holly said.

"What's a grumpy?" The woman asked.

"Come on we have to get out of here!" Rick said. Holly grabbed the woman's hand and then they raced away in the opposite direction the roar was coming from. As soon as they left, Grumpy entered and roared ferociously and started to drink out of the small pond from the stream where the Marshalls were just standing.

"Whew! That was a close one! You'd think that one day he would get tired of chasing us, but no, he keeps at it." Will said as he leaned up against a tree to catch his breath.

"I'm just glad he was thirsty this time, and not hungry. Oh fat rats! I forgot the water canisters! Oh, I hope Grumpy doesn't stomp on them!" Holly said.

The woman was strangely quiet. "Are you feeling okay? You look a little sick?" Will asked her.

"Yeah, you kinda looked like Will did when we went on that big sailboat that one time! A little seasick." Holly said.

"Hey, I wasn't sea-"

"Will, Holly, shush. You really look a little worse for the wear. Are you okay?" Rick Marshall asked the woman.

"I don't know. Strange, I have never felt like this before. I'm…..feeling….not to…." Before she could finish the woman passed out, but luckily Rick caught her before she could fall on the ground.

"Hey, wake up! Hello?" Rick said as he shook her. "Looks like she passed out, let's get her back to High Bluff." Rick glanced over to where Grumpy was last seen. "It looks like Grumpy has left the pond, probably to go get something to eat. Will, help me bring her back, Holly grab the water canisters and meet us back there."

"Got it Dad!" Holly said as she ran to get the canisters. Will put his arm under the woman's arm and Rick did the same as they headed back to High Bluff.

* * *

><p>When they got back to the cave, they placed the woman on Rick's cot. She still looked sick but she was starting to stir and looked as if she would wake up.<p>

"Dad, do you think she is going to be okay?" Holly asked.

"Yes, I do. She looks as though she is suffering from a mild cause of dehydration. This happened all the time when I was a park ranger. Someone would always forget to drink enough water and then they would pass out and get sick just like her. The cure is simply to get in a cool place and drink some water."

Will brought over a cup filled with water, held up the woman's head, and placed the cup to her lips. She immediately started drinking. After she had finished the cup she slowly sat up and brought a hand to her head. "Ah, I'm sorry Marshall Family. I forgot that I'm not myself. This is a human body that needs what human's need, and in my excitement I forgot. Thank you so much for helping me."

"It's no problem; we couldn't just leave you there anyways." Holly replied.

The woman smiled as she drank another cup of water and bit into a carrot that Will had brought her. Her blue eyes looked around the cave. "Wow! This is quite a lovely place you have made here. Oh! Even an alarm clock, very clever."

"Thanks! I made it!" Holly said, taking in the compliments. "We also made the cot your on! And those shelves over there."

"You humans are very intelligent! You must be very important to the Land."

"Really? We just thought we ended up here by mistake, well at least I did." Will stated.

"I know it may be hard to believe but mostly everything here has a purpose, even the smallest scarab that wanders across the forest floor has a destiny. Even if its purpose is to be eaten by a Paku for lunch. But the visitors here, they are very special. Now I can sense you want to know more about your fate, and even if I knew for sure what it was I couldn't tell you all of it! But, a little spoiler wouldn't hurt!" The woman closed her eyes, and she went into concentration. Her brow furrowed. "Strange, I….cannot see what your fate is. Huh, that is very odd. It's….obscured. Oh, now this is difficult. It's very cloudy, Marshall Family. I can tell few things from that. I hear the words 'Don't trust the black sleestak.' Odd, very odd."

"Hey! That's what the other Holly said when she was telling us about the other Dad and I!" Will said.

The woman opened her eyes. "Other Holly?"

"Yes, it seems a Holly from a parallel world had come in a ghost like form to get us to help her father and brother. And when she was talking with Holly's voice and body that was one of the things she said." Rick explained.

The woman looked troubled. "A Parallel world bleeding through, to get to you? You must be more important than I thought. It is very peculiar that I did not recognize you, I should have known of some of the things you have done. I….can recall bits and pieces of you, but I can't tell if they are from past, present, or future. Or even this world's you; oh time is different for me. Very different. But still...I should know about you….." She looked off into the distance with her piercing blue eyes with a figuring look on her face.

"I don't mean to interrupt you, but back at the stream you said you had a purpose for coming here." Rick said.

"That is correct." She replied and nodded her head.

"And you also said something about Enik. And about how you needed to use this form. I hope it's not too much of a trouble to help us understand this."

"No no no, it is not any trouble. I just sometimes forget that others are not like me, or know my intentions."

"Wait, sorry to interrupt Daddy but I know you said you didn't have a name. And well I was wondering, could I give you one?" Holly asked.

"Holly, she doesn't have to have a name if she doesn't want to…."

"No Rick, it's fine. I have so many names, one more will not hurt. And if it helps you when you are conversing with me, by all means go ahead."

"Good, 'cause I have the perfect name for you, Crystal!" Holly said. Will shook his head at the simplicity of the name and smiled to himself.

"Crystal, like the namesake of what I am? I like it, thank you Holly Marshall." The woman, now named Crystal by the smallest Marshall Child, smiled. "And my purpose, well, it's very simple. I am here to visit Enik, the Altrusian. He is someone I find fascinating, he has a great purpose in this world and I just had to meet him. I have just grown attached to his story; he is turning point here and influences many universes. I just, need to speak with him and tell him something. And at this point in time I felt drawn to for some reason, maybe I'll find that out as time goes on."

"Enik is fascinating? Boy, if you told him that I'm sure he would just turn his head and say 'That is not true, now leave me alone so I can find a way back.'" Will said as he imitated Enik by cocking his head and talking like him. Rick smiled and Holly giggled.

"I do not understand….." Crystal said as she turned her head to one side.

"Yeah, he wouldn't either…." Will sighed.

"Oh, I didn't forget about telling you about my form choice. I can only appear as something that has once lived in this universe, so I could not just conjure up a random form. My first choice was to appear in the form of an Altrusian, but then I realized as soon as I met Enik he would immediately recognize I was not one of his kind and not believe anything I say. Then I had thought to be a, as what you call Sleestak. But then I realized he probably would not believe that either because he finds them to be very stupid. So, I choose the form of a human."

"What time is your form from? I mean, will we ever meet her?" Will asked.

"I'm not sure. The form I have taken is someone very important to the Land of the Lost's future. Though, I cannot recall if you meet her. I know Enik meets her, but for you, I cannot be sure."

A sharp crack of noise suddenly shot through the sky. The Marshall's turned towards the mouth of the cave.

"What was that?" Will asked.

The silence that followed the sound was bizarre as well, usually the Marshall's were consistently hearing noises in the jungle or the movement of trees. But instead, dead silence. Then noises started slowly returning and in a less than a minute the jungle was full of noise again. Crystal's face was slightly pale.

"Crystal, do you have any idea what's going on?" Rick asked after seeing her face.

She looked very worried and even sicker than before. "I…..I think…..but no…..it could not possibly….." As she looked up she saw the Marshall's faces fill with concern. "Oh, um, I am sure it's nothing, probably just a pylon malfunctioning! Yes, that's it. Or, it could be lighting, storms are very common here in the Land of the Lost." The color returned to her face and she grabbed another cup and water and downed it. "So, Marshalls. I thank you for your kindness and hospitality but I really need to go find Enik so I can return, thank you very much!" She got up to leave but then hesitated. "Although, I could use some help finding where he lives, would you like to lead me there?"

"Oh! Daddy, can we?" Holly asked, almost immediately forgetting the noise.

"Sure, I think that's a good idea." Rick said as he watched Crystal suspiciously. He could tell there was something she wasn't telling them and he was going to find it out.


	5. Chapter 4

Rick grabbed some supplies and put them in his backpack and put it on his back then followed Crystal and his children out of the cave mouth.

They got to the ground and started to head off towards the Lost City when a voice started calling to the Marshalls nearby.

"Will, Holly, Rick! Amarani!" The small Pakuni named Chaka came running up to the Marshalls waving his hands around trying to get their attention.

"Oh look! A Paku! What is his name?" Crystal said as she smiled at the Pakuni.

Chaka ignored the strange lady and addressed the Marshalls. "Big noise and light! From Lost City! All Paku and animals afraid!"

Chaka had started to talk in more English every day, but more so since the Marshalls and Chaka entered a strange temple that had caused an entity to come out and attack the Marshalls. They had passed out when it had attacked them, but it had apparently given Chaka more intelligence, since the Marshalls had awoken to the Pakuni playing a recorder to a comprehensible song, which just hours earlier he had been mindlessly blowing into. Even though they were not sure what had happened that day, they knew it had changed Chaka.

"So, Chaka, there was a big noise? Did you see what made it?" Will asked.

"No, Chaka just hear noise and see light from Lost City. All Pakuni are going to hide! You hide too!"

With that brief encounter Chaka ran off into the jungle without even waiting for a response from the Marshalls.

"Chaka wait! Oh no, something must have really freaked him out! Do you think we should follow him?" Holly asked with a concerned look on her face.

"No Holly, I think he'll be safer where he is hiding and he's with the other Pakuni so it's not like he is alone. I think we should go see what he was talking about. We are all ready on our way to the Lost City anyways." Rick said.

Crystal was looking around as if she was looking for something. "Oh, um, maybe I should continue on my journey alone Marshall family, thank you so much for your help. But if there was any sort of danger I would not want you to get hurt because of me." She said as she looked away from the Marshall family.

"Crystal, what was the noise that we all heard and the light that Chaka saw?" Rick asked his voice firm.

Holly and Will looked to Crystal for an answer to their father's question.

"I, well, I'm not FULLY sure. I mean there are actually quite a few possibilities and most of them are harmless. Freak lightning, a powerful set of crystals coming together, or even someone messing with the weather pylons here."

"Wouldn't you know if there was something wrong with the crystals though, since your mind is connected to all of them?" Will asked

"Yes, that is why I'm not sure what it is, if it were a simple crystal encounter I would feel it. Or if this was planned I should know of it, one does not hide their intentions from the rest. I'm not even sure if that could be done. This is why I am asking you to stay behind, I mean I don't know that much about you Marshall Family, and I have a feeling there is danger where I am going, please don't be fools. " Crystal said almost begging them to stay back. Then, however, a grin spread across her face. "Wait! This is…..FANTASTIC!"

"Huh? What do ya mean?" Holly asked. The woman had just turned emotions on a dime and was now putting one hand to her head and nearly jumping for joy.

"This means, I do not know what is going to happen! I have never experienced this before! This is all brand new! I can find no recollection of this happening in my records, this must be a once in a millennia thing that only happens in one universe now! Marshall Family, do you see? This has never been before! Absolutely astonishing!"

"You mean you don't know what's going to happen next? But, I thought you knew when everything happened." Will asked.

"Not if it has never happened before." Crystal said as she smiled. She then picked up her pace and started walking towards the Lost City.

The Marshalls stood not sure what to do next. "Dad, do you think it's safe to follow her?" Will asked his father.

"Are you guys coming or what?" Crystal called. She was quite a few steps away from the Marshalls.

"I think we better, just to see what's up. And who knows? Maybe we can find a way home." The Marshalls then followed the woman, hoping that this new mystery could possibly lead to a way back home.

* * *

><p>Inside the Lost City there were many tunnels that ran throughout the whole city and into the underground. The creatures that lived inside these tunnels were inhabitants of the Land of the Lost called Sleestak. They were very tall, about six feet or taller and had the appearance of something mixed between a lizard and an insect. And the horrible noise they made was the hissing noise of a snake preparing to attack. Many people who have hear that noise before and have miraculously gotten out of the Land of the Lost still hear that hissing noise in their nightmares.<p>

Right now 3 Sleestak were gathered in the Library of Skulls. Something wrong was acting up in the Land and they had gotten news that a new human had entered. The leader of the Library of Skulls was sort of the Sleestak's High Priest and Medicine Man. He had been born with the ability to speak like the ancient Altrusians and he was slightly more intelligent than the others. He was given a necklace of pendants to wear to show his superiority to the others.

"Oh wise ones, we ask you to help us figure out what is happening in our Land. First we receive news that a new human has come to our Land and now a strange noise and bright lights have come from multiple places in our tunnels. Before we ask about the later, is this human female Br'ak Sisss Fr'a?" The Sleestak High Priest asked. Br'ak Sisss Fr'a in the Sleestak language means 'Fierce Blue Eyes' in English. Br'ak Sisss Fr'a is a legend that the Sleestak have that has been passed down since the Altrusian time. She is a human girl who will help the Sleestak through a dark time and will be their protector. They had already asked the Library of Skulls when the Marshalls had first arrived into the Land about the youngest Marshall, Holly, but she was not the one they were seeking.

The skull that the Sleestak High Priest was addressing eyes suddenly lit up "Though she wears Br'ak Sisss Fr'a's skin, she is not Br'ak Sisss Fr'a. Though she looks like a human she is not human. She is the one who brings the others. She is the cause of the cause. She will stop the cause." The eyes blinked out on the skull.

The other Sleestak looked to the High Priest for answers. The Sleestak high Priest looked around trying to comprehend what it all meant. He had learned that she was not the one they sought out and that she was the cause of whatever was going on. He wished that he could understand more of what the Skull's said but unfortunately much of what they said was beyond his comprehension. And he would never stoop so low as to ask the Altrusian, Enik, what it meant. So he just went with what he could tell from the words. _Damn!_ He thought. _Why were the skulls so difficult to understand?_

"He means that the new human is here to cause trouble and is bringing the others to help! We must capture them!" He spoke to the other Sleestak.

The other 2 Sleestak shook their heads and hissed off to tell the rest of the Sleestak the news.s


	6. Chapter 5

The Marshall's and Crystal made their way quickly and assuredly to the Lost City, with Crystal leading. As they approached, they could see the two large white pillars that arched a distance away from the City's entrance. They were covered in vines and did not look as though it had been disturbed for a thousand, perhaps, ten thousand years. The City itself gave off an eerie vibe as travelers approached, it was almost as if something was slightly off, or it didn't feel quite right. Holly always had goose bumps and a sick feeling in her stomach when the family explored the Lost City, although she never told them for fear of being called a baby. When they arrived at the City today, everyone could tell something was wrong.

"Do you feel that?" Will asked as they got to the pillar arch. "It's like, when you see a scary part in a movie, and after the shock is gone, you still have an after feeling of dread."

"Yeah, or like after you get off a roller coaster and your legs are still shaky." Holly said then she shivered. "The Lost City always feels weird, but never _this _weird!"

"You're right Holly and Will, this certainly doesn't feel like how it usually does. Crystal, do you know what this is?" Rick Marshall asked the woman.

"Yes, I think I do. It's odd though, for it should not be happening. What is going on is slight radiation from the blue crystals. Blue crystals are used for telepathic functions, which includes using reading thoughts, transfer of thoughts to one another, and using thoughts of others. Basically, blue crystals can manipulate a beings brain and memories. Radiation from these will cause your brain to realize something is wrong and tries to prevent anything from getting in. But that is due to high, very high exposure, as in being exposed to a large quantity of blue crystal every day, for twenty four hours for a year. I myself am a blue crystal and from just being near me from this time should not cause this. And anyways, I feel it too, which I should not because I am one."

"I believe you about the crystals. I remember our old Confederate friend Jefferson Collie in the crystal mines telling me that if you hand around the blue crystals to long they will make you sick. I thought he was just crazy, but I suppose they could have made him that way." Rick said.

"And remember when you put those crystals together near the wall of them? One of them was blue and Enik said that it caused shock to your nervous system! I remember in school we learned that the nervous system starts in the brain, well, the blue one must have done that!" Holly replied.

"And Enik healed you using two blue crystals to absorb the power from your head!" Will added in.

"The yellow crystals produce the most energy and power of all of my kind, and the red ones produce light energy. However they do not affect the human mind as much as the blue." Crystal replied.

Rick Marshall was making mental notes of the conversation when a loud roar was heard coming from the right of the group.

"Oh great, it's Alice!" Will lamented.

"Quick let's hide!" Rick shouted while he started to gather his family to run.

"There will be no need for that Marshalls." Crystal said calmly.

The big green Allosaurus named Alice by the Marshalls sauntered into the Lost City and gave out a roar. She then glanced at the group of people down below. She started walking towards them roaring, determined to defend her territory from any threat.

"No, I think we need to go NOW!" Rick Marshall said as he and his children started to scurry off. They ran into some bushes away from the pillars and hid there.

Crystal simply walked in between the pillars to face the great beast. Alice glared at the figure and let out a growl. Crystal calmly closed her eyes and tilted her head towards the dinosaur. Alice looked perplexed, then just turned around and walked back from the way she came without a fuss. The Marshalls looked at each other and wondered how this happened.

"It is quite simple Marshall Family, I just used my telepathic abilities to persuade the Allosaurus that there was something far more interesting than us on the other side of her territory. It is very easy when the brain waves are small and simple like a dinosaurs'. It is much harder with more intelligent beings." Crystal responded, after hearing the question ring so loud in the Marshall's heads.

"Boy, I wish I could do that! It would be so much easier moving around here!" Holly lamented.

"Tell me about it!" Will agreed.

"Well, let's head into the caves to find Enik and find out what made that light." Rick Marshall said, keeping a close eye on Crystal, wondering how many more surprises today's adventure would take him.

* * *

><p>They entered on a side entrance to the Lost City, the one that lead to Enik's cave, so that they wouldn't immediately run into sleestak which they usually did when using the main entrance.<p>

As they walked through the tunnels Holly shivered. Even in the supposed 'warm' season in the Land of the Lost, it always managed to be cold in the Sleestak's catacombs, and she always managed to forget her coat. She looked at Crystal walking in front of them, somehow knowing where she was going automatically. She also noticed that she must be freezing being in a dress with short sleeves and her lack of shoes.

"Hey Crystal? Aren't you cold without any shoes on?" Holly asked.

"Hmm? Oh, I guess I am. They actually hurt a little too. But I am not here to worry about my temporary body, and I guess in my rash decision making I forgot about that. It's actually sort of wonderful to feel things physically. I usually just use emotion, and never experience any of it. Pain or Touch, I cannot feel. The closest I get to physical sensation is warmth from the sunlight, which is the absolute best feeling in the world!" She smiled at the remembrance of sunlight.

"You can't feel anything? That's sad. I wouldn't want to not feel anything even if it meant giving up pain." Holly responded then shivered again.

* * *

><p>They trudged on through the tunnels, when suddenly Will stopped.<p>

"Do you hear something?" He asked.

The group stopped and turned their heads around, trying to listen for any sounds.

"I am sensing low wavelength brain activity coming towards us fast. It seems to be from an organism I know well." Crystal stated.

"I don't have to be a mind reader to know that she is talking about the sleestak!" Will said.

"Come on let's move faster!" Rick Marshall said, determined to keep his family safe.

They started to walk faster when out of seemingly nowhere, a Sleestak sprang from a hidden tunnel in the wall and grabbed Holly.

"Holly!" Rick screamed. He and Will went and tried to grab her when two other Sleestak came and tried to grab them and Crystal.

"STOP." Crystal shouted and held up her hands. The sleestak immediately rebounded and hid their eyes as if a bright light had been flashed at them, when none in fact had. Holly escaped the Sleestak's clutch and joined the rest of the group and they started to run. The Sleestak quickly composed themselves and started chasing down the Marshalls and Crystal while calling out to the rest of their kin, letting them know where they had been spotted.

The Marshalls and Crystal ran towards the direction Enik's cave, which seemed to be much further than any of them had remembered. Soon, they hurt more hissing from behind them, like a million venomous snakes after someone who had just stepped in their brood. Holly was getting tired and she shut her eyes tight imagining that this was only a dream and that they couldn't hurt her, even though she knew it was perfectly possible that the Sleestak would capture her and sacrifice her and her family to the god of the pit.

Just when the Sleestak were about to grab Holly and Will, the four stumbled into a bright cave on the side of one of the corridors of the tunnels. A mist filled the entrance to the cave and the Sleestak that were in pursuit were now trapped outside the cave opening.

The Marshalls and Crystal caught their breathes, as a small beige colored Altrusian stood on the other side of the cave staring at them intently. The Marshalls looked up and saw that it was Enik, the cave of who they had been looking for. Crystal stared at the Altrusian with a mix of shock and amazement.

"Hello Rick Marshall, Will, Holly. I see once again you have stumbled into my cave without warning and without invitation. Still, nonetheless I am still here." Enik then noticed the other human female with them with an as much puzzled look on his face, with enough emotion on his usually emotionless face that the Marshals could tell. "And who are you?" He asked the girl.


	7. Chapter 6

Enik continued staring Crystal as if he were trying to read her mind, but somehow could not.

"Hello." Crystal said. "I believe you are Enik, the Altrusian. The one who is the last of his race, thrown into a future where his entire kind has degenerated and is trapped here until he can find a way back."

The Marshalls seemed slightly disturbed at this statement, but quickly remembered that she could read minds and she would have known. Enik however, looked even more disturbed.

"How do you know this information? Have the Marshalls told you of my presence? And why can I not read your mind? You look like a human, but your brainwaves certainly do not function like theirs." Enik said blankly.

Crystal smiled at the Altrusian and said, "I knew this information before I came here, before I met the Marshall Family. I see you know I am not human, this is true. I am what your kind call fourth dimensional nodes. I believe that the Marshalls call me Light Crystals, and oh!" She looked at the table full of the brightly colored crystals. "Those! I am one of these! Oh look at this!" She walked over to them. She touched one of them and it lit up as bright as when they produced a light force field. It then blinked and returned to normal. "Only a few of these matrices have survived out of the pylon's care."

"You are a fourth dimensional node? But that is impossible. The nodes are an inanimate power source that can only work with an external source of energy." Enik said.

"Then how am I here now? You cannot read my mind my friend because no Altrusian or any life form could read the mind of one of my kind. At least not without my consent for another life form too. I am not human, I am not Altrusian, nor Sleestak." Crystal said. "Would it help you if I explained it like this?"

Crystal then started talking in a strange language that the Marshalls had never heard before. They looked at each confused as to what was going on. They looked over to Enik to see if he had any idea what was happening. To their surprise, Enik answered in the same language that Crystal had been speaking a few seconds ago.

"Dad," Will asked quietly. "What do you think is going on?"

"Well Will, I would be guessing that they are speaking Altrusian. That is Enik's main language I would assume." Rick answered.

The Marshalls waited for a minute before they finally stopped talking in Altrusian.

"You are not human then, but a fourth dimensional node, yes I see now." Enik said

"This is why you cannot read my thoughts and why you did not recognize me. You have never met one of my kind before. Though, we know of you and your kind Enik." Crystal replied.

"This is most unnerving, if you are conscious and aware, you can prevent travel between worlds and places on your own. Why have you chosen to reveal yourself to the Marshalls and me now?" Enik asked, clearly very distressed, and yet intrigued at the same time.

"Well, you see….."

Before Crystal could finish her sentence a loud static like noise suddenly blared out in the air.

"AHHHHHHHHHHH!" Crystal screamed, she then clapped her hands over ears and started to fall. Enik caught her right before she hit the ground. Rick Marshall stepped over to help him. Crystal's eyes where squeezed shut and her mouth was in a grimace. All of a sudden the ground shook and all the crystals in Enik's cave grew brighter than the Marshalls had ever seen them before. Then, POP! All of the crystals that were on the Matrix and on the walls of the cave suddenly blinked out after a pop like a light bulb had gone out. The noise and earthquake stopped as sudden as the crystals went out.

"Crystal? Crystal? Are you alright?" Rick asked. Crystal still lay with her eyes squeezed shut and her hands over her ears. "The earthquake stopped and so did the noise. Well, at least I think."

Crystal slowly opened her eyes and looked around cautiously. She then uncovered her ears. "That was, or I don't know how to describe it, and….there was such a drain of power on me." Rick and Enik helped Crystal to her feet. She was still wobbly when she got up and so she continued to lean on Enik, much to his not being very happy about it.

"Crystal, what was that?" Holly asked.

"Yeah, it made the same brightness like we saw before, only there was a different noise." Will stated.

"Well, I…..I am not fully sure. Whatever that was, it drained me of my power and it was terrible. Did you not hear the piercing sound? I was sure I was going to shatter into a million pieces." She said as she raised one arm to her head.

"We didn't hear anything like that, it just sounded like the noise that happens when you turn on the TV and sometimes you get static if the signals weak." Holly replied.

"What is this T-V?" Enik asked.

"Nothing that's going to help us here." Rick replied.

"Oh no! Look!" Crystal suddenly said as she saw the crystal matrix and the crystals on the wall. She stumbled over to them and rested her body on the wall. "My brothers and sisters, what has happened to you?" All the crystals were dull and only a few had dim light left, which was lighting the darkened cave. Crystal put her hands on the matrix and waved it across like Enik had done to open doorways. "This is not good."

"What happened?" Holly asked.

"They're very very _very _weak. I fear," she gasped, "some of them might be gone. Oh who could do this?"

"Crystal, is there any way we can help them?" Rick asked.

"No, they have to recharge on their own, like I need to do." As she said this she waved her hand over the matrix again. Some crystals faintly responded by gently glowing. The crystals on the wall also began to slowly pulse back to life.

"Strange, I have never seen the crystals being recharged in this manner. Whenever they were used up, the Altrusians just replaced them and returned the other ones to where we usually harvested them. But even then it could take up to a hundred years before they could be used again." Enik said.

"The Altrusian race was never very patient in my opinion, and many of us only choose to work for the right person. Most of us follow orders very well, yes, but others usually have their own agenda and will only work for certain people and at the right time. Although, we are trying to strive for the best since we know what is going to happen next." Crystal said. "I am feeling much better. But I'm not sure how long this form will last. Whatever that terrible thing was that destroyed my brothers and sisters has also, injured me. I can sense that I won't last. And yet….there is something at the back of my mind that still senses that whatever did this is still here."

"If it's still here, why is it here?" Rick asked.

"I do not know." Crystal said. "If these crystals were fully functioning, maybe I they could tell me. For some reason they're too weak to use their collective consciousness, which is very bad. Do you know where we could find more?"

"Well, there is that place where Dad got shocked by those crystals." Will replied.

"Are you talking about the wall where the Crystals seem to grow on? I go there if I need to replace some of my crystals, although that rarely happens." Enik said.

"This sounds good. I think we should head there to find the ones we need." Crystal said. "Enik, I think we need your help. You know more about the crystals then the Marshalls and can help."

"I shall come, because it seems that you being here has already destroyed all my others and I would have to go there to get some new anyway." Enik replied. "I also would like to hear more about how you control the time doorways. It will be of most use to me."

"Well then let's get going, we should get them as soon as we can." Rick said.

The Marshalls, Enik, and Crystal swiftly left the caves, unaware that the danger was close behind them.


	8. Chapter 7

The strange group of various kinds left Enik's cave.

"Oh wow, it's really dark in here. Well, I mean it was dark before, but now I can barely see anything!" Holly said.

"I think it's because the crystals have gone out." Will said.

"Yes. There are some buried deep in the walls of these tunnels that the Sleestak use to guide their way. They are just dark enough not to hurt their sensitive eyesight," Crystal responded.

"Speaking of Sleestak, we need to be very careful. They could attack us at any moment. They might have some trouble seeing us, but not as much as trouble as we have seeing them." Rick said.

After two minutes of walking, Holly was getting antsy. "Dad, are sure this is the right way? It's really dark, and well, there are so many tunnels that we haven't been in before. We could have easily gone down one of those..…" Holly said with her voice wavering with worry.

"Do not worry Holly Marshall, we are going on the right path. I have an internal compass to the Land that insures me we are going in the right direction." Crystal replied.

"How does this internal compass work? The electromagnetic fields affect any source of directional device; even with Altrusian technology we could make a device that could point a certain direction. Even in a closed universe such as this" Enik asked.

"I am connected with every crystal in the Land and so I have every coordinate with them and I am linked to every pylon symbiotically. We each help one another to survive this place, we feed off each other's energy. Therefore I know where I am due to where the pylons are located as off right now." Crystal responded.

"That is impossible. The pylons are merely a channeling device for the crystals power. They are not alive." Enik retorted back.

"Oh, Enik. You have come so far and yet you are still far away." Crystal said smiling at the Altrusian.

"I do not know what you speak of." Enik said, clearly slightly annoyed that he was not the most all knowing being in the group. Holly could tell of the annoyance in his voice and stifled a giggle. Suddenly Crystal stopped walking.

"STOP!" She cried out.

The Marshalls and Enik stopped when she screamed and Will felt the ends of Sleestak claws on his shirt.

"Sleestak!" Will screamed.

Everyone immediately started backing up, in hopes that there would be none behind them. They turned and started running in the opposite direction. Crystal put a hand out as if to temporary blind them as she did before. Instead of shielding their eyes like they should, the Sleestak just kept running at them as if nothing had occurred.

"What?" Crystal asked herself in disbelief. But before the Sleestak grabbed her, Rick took her hand and pulled her in the opposite direction. They continued to run aimlessly.

"I don't understand," Crystal said, "Why didn't that work?"

"I think we have bigger problems then that right now!" Will exclaimed.

"Daddy, where are we going?" Holly asked almost out of breathe.

"Yes, it is difficult for me to keep up." Enik said much farther back then the Marshalls and Crystal.

Crystal fell back and grabbed the Altrusians hand. "Altrusians were never good for running, thankfully neither are the Sleestak!"

"Are they still following us?" holly asked as they ran blindly through the tunnels.

"Yes, I can hear their minds. And they are getting closer. Strange, I have never seen them run that fast." Enik said between labored breathes.

"Crystal, you said you knew this place, well now is the time to use that knowledge. Can you show us a way out?" Rick asked.

"Yes, yes I can! Not very intelligent of me not suggesting that. Okay, Rick Marshall, I am sending you a coordinate out of here into your head. Grab your children's hands and run quickly towards it. It is nearby, we'll catch up, GO!" Crystal shouted.

Rick didn't have the luxury of asking how she was transferring coordinates inside his brain, so he just went with it. "I got it!" Rick said. He then grabbed Holly's hand who then grabbed on to Will's and the family ran faster than any of them had ever run before. In a short 30 seconds, although it seemed like 30 minutes to the Marshalls, they burst out of the tunnels into a clearing of trees and bushes. The family stopped to catch their breathes and smiled.

"That was a close one." Will said as he placed his hands on his knees and then started slowly walking around.

"You're telling me, I thought my feet were going to fall off!" said Holly who lay on the ground in the shade of some trees.

A second later, Crystal and Enik came running out of the tunnels. The Sleestak close behind started to run out, but then retreated back into the safety of the cave once the sunlight hit their eyes. They gave off a hostile hiss then watched them from the cave opening.

The strange pair fell onto the ground in an almost comical fashion.

"How do you humans use these things? It seems to be very dangerous." Crystal said gasping for air lying on the ground smiling and giving off a faint laugh.

"I have not run that much since I was a small child, and even then I do not think I had run that fast." Enik said slowly standing up and leaning on a tree for support.

They all stopped talking for a few moments to collect their thoughts and their breathes. Enik, Crystal, and Holly seemed to need the most.

"I wonder why they were perusing us that fast. They will usually let up after we have run for a while." Rick pondered.

"Maybe it was because it was all dark in there and they were confused too." Holly suggested.

"I don't know Dad, it seems like they were chasing us. Now I mean not just chasing us as in 'get out of our caves', but as if we took something from them." Will said, thinking.

"It did not seem very Sleestak like. Their thought waves were all over the place, I had a hard time pinpointing what they were thinking." Enik said.

"What was odd though was that I was getting very little 'rage' or 'protect' like emotions from them. This is what they Sleestak normally project. But they had more of a full on attack mode, like Rick Marshall has suggested." Crystal said. "What was more strange, is that my deflection was not working."

"Is that when you put your hands up before and the Sleestak shielded their eyes?" Holly asked.

"Yes. I confuse their minds and make their eyes think for a second that they are in direct sunlight, where they are really still in darkness. It is really quite simple, which is odd for it not working." Crystal said.

She then proceeded to stand up and then fell to her knees clutching her stomach in pain. Will and Rick rushed over to help.

"What's wrong?" Rick asked.

"I….I don't know." Crystal said. "I just had a sharp pain in my body. I thought that this might happen."

"What might happen?" Will asked.

"This is a temporary state, and it seems that shock I received in the cave and all of this running has short circuited this. Unfortunately what I am is just a very elaborate hologram type of projection that can feel and talk and physically be here. But it's not meant to last forever." Crystal said.

"You mean, you're going to leave us?" Holly asked.

"Hopefully not for a few more hours, but look at all the time we have!" Crystal said. "I think I'm okay to get up now, thank you for helping." Crystal slowly got up with the help of Rick and Will.

"There might be a possibility that I can fix that if we get to the crystal wall. I could produce a homeostasis for the body." Enik suggested.

"I'm not sure if that would work old friend. But I say we still head towards that way." Crystal closed her eyes and looked at Rick Marshall. Her eyes quickly turned away and looked at the ground. "It is actually close, just a few feet that way." She pointed to a grove of trees along the outside of the tunnel.

Rick Marshall noticed the quick look towards him and away and he wondered if there was something even more fishy that was going on then to was Crystal was telling him. "Well, are we all ready to go? Will, Holly?"

"I'm good Dad." Will replied.

"Yeah, me too." Holly responded.

"Enik, are you okay?"

"Yes, Rick Marshall. I am able to travel." Enik replied.

"And Crystal you're fine to go?" Rick asked. She looked up at Rick and shook her head in a yes motion. "Alright, then let's head in that direction." Rick said as he led the group towards the trees by the cave.


	9. Chapter 8

After a short walk through the flora, the group arrived at the place of the crystals.

Gentle mist milled about on the ground, seeming to appear out of nowhere and just stayed near the crystals. The crystals were attached to rocks that seemed to rise out of the earth. They glittered against the harsh gray of the stone.

"Here we are." Rick said.

"It's still the same. No crystals have been drained from here." Will observed.

"Hopefully, I will be able to communicate with them since it seems to be that they are still functioning." Crystal responded.

"And you just communicate with these telepathically?" Enik asked.

"Yes, as I have told you before we are connected." Crystal replied.

"It is just, so very different then what the Altrusian leaders taught us. To us, crystals are just instruments, a form where energy comes from and that is used to transfer energy from the time doorways and the pylons." Enik said.

"Well, the Altrusian leaders may not either be telling you, or maybe they are just not intelligent to pick up the points." Crystal said.

"The Altrusian leaders are the finest and smartest of all the Altrusian society! They cannot be wrong" Enik said, in an outburst that startled the Marshalls.

"Enik, I am sure she didn't mean it that way…." Rick said cautiously. He had seen Enik get angry before and use his telepathic powers to make the Marshall's see their greatest fears in their own minds. He did not want another outburst occurring now.

"I…apologize Enik. I did not mean for you to take offence from that. I was just telling you what could be a truth." Crystal responded.

"No, it should my apology. I have been trying to keep my emotions in check and learn to block out this anger. It is this anger that eventually leads the Altrusian to degenerate into the Sleestak. I am sorry for my outburst." Enik said, clearly embarrassed at his display of emotions.

"It's okay Enik, I mean we all get mad sometime!" Holly said, easily calming everyone with her smile.

"Okay then, let's get to work. Crystal, can you try to communicate with them?" Rick asked.

"Yes. It will be a few minutes." Crystal responded. She went up to the rocks and placed her hands on the stone and closed her eyes.

Holly sat on the ground, Will took a drink out of the canteen, and Rick and Enik observed Crystal. A few minutes had passed and Crystal still stood at her place not showing any signs of clarity to receiving her message.

"How long do you think it takes for her to communicate?" Rick said quietly as he turned to Enik.

"I am not sure. She seemed to react quickly with the crystals in the cave. I would think that we would have an answer of some sorts by now." Enik responded just as quietly as he turned to Rick. "How did she get here exactly?"

"After the Earthquake, Holly found her just standing out near the stream where we get our water. She didn't give us much information besides that this is one of the first times a light crystals consciousness has been in a body, and that she was here for a purpose. And from what I gather it has something to do with you." Rick replied.

"With me? Did she say why?" Enik asked.

"Do you miss it?" Crystal suddenly spoke with her eyes still closed.

Rick and Enik turned around to Crystal. Rick felt as if he were a child that was caught talking in class when he wasn't supposed to. "I'm sorry, what?" Rick asked.

"Enik, do you miss Altrusia?" Crystal asked. "I sense you have a lot of guilt for not being able to return quicker. I also sense…. sadness, very brief because your emotions are so faint, but still a detectable sadness for Altrusia. Much like I sense the Marshalls have for their home of California."

Enik stood there not answering for almost a minute. "Yes. I do miss Altrusia."

"When I travelled in one of the pylons I saw a place that looked like this, well sort of. But there was someone who looked just like you. Was that Altrusia? What was it like?" Holly asked.

"I have thought about it. More so since I have heard you speak the language of my kind, Crystal. Altrusia….." Enik sighed and one hand gripped his pendant. "It was a very beautiful place for me, full of knowledge and science. The Lost City, as you call it, was our homes and laboratories where we studied the time doorways. We monitored time and space, observed other cultures and advanced our own. I was a teacher at the school where we taught our young about the time and space advancements. Our world was filled with gleaming gold and orange colors, everything geometrical. We were all very smart and it seemed like a perfect Utopian society without the emotions, which it no seems was not as perfect as I thought." Enik looked off in the distance.

"It is beautiful, one of the most beautiful places I've seen. Out of all the worlds I always thought it was one of the most stunning." Crystal said, still eyes closed with her hand on the rock. She opened her eyes. "I am so sorry you are far away from home."

Enik looked at Crystal, "It is fine. It just makes me try harder to get home."

"I'm sorry Enik, I didn't realize you were as homesick as us." Will said.

"Yeah, it sounds really pretty. It was pretty when I saw it, I can only imagine what else!" Holly said.

Enik looked around at the Marshalls who were all smiling at him, with emotions that he could not detect. "I am sorry for my outburst. Excuse me." Enik spoke, then turned and walked away.

"Hey wait! Awww, where's he going?" Holly asked.

"I think that maybe he was embarrassed that he showed emotion honey, he just isn't used to it." Rick answered Holly.

"Yes, he is not far. I can tell his brain patterns are scattered, he is just trying to make sense of his emotions." Crystal said. "But, he is supposed to learn them if he is to save his race, and so it must start sometime."

"Have you communicated with the crystals yet? It seems to me that it is taking longer than you said it would." Rick said.

"About that….they, oh it's just, they are not responding!" Crystal said in frustration. "Usually we can communicate in a matter of seconds, but since that incident in the cave, I cannot hear or sense anything from my brothers and sisters. It's almost as if, I know this sounds truly illogical, but that something is blocking me from them. Some just blackness is in the way of everything. I'm almost completely useless without them." Crystal said then slunk to the ground. "I, for once in my existence, have no idea what is going to happen."


	10. Chapter 9

The Marshalls and Crystal sat down and started thinking about what could be done about the predicament that they were in.

"If you can't understand the crystals, then how do we know what to do stop the earthquakes and the draining of the crystals?" Will asked Crystal.

"I do not know. It's like…..I can read the crystals, but only to s certain point. It is as if something is physically pushing what I need to find out, out of the way so I cannot sense it. Except, this has never happened in all the histories of time that I can pull from. Something is definitely not right. I mean I suspected that before, but now I know for sure." Crystal grabbed her head. "And I have a terrible splitting headache that I am sure correlates with the degradation of this human form."

Rick Marshall looked around. This was not at all how he thought their day would go and the ways things were heading, it looked like it was only getting worse. He quickly brainstormed a few ideas that could help the situation.

"Will, didn't Enik say that he could put Crystal's body in a temporary homeostasis when we brought him here?" Rick asked his son.

"Hey, yeah, I think he did! But who knows where he has gone off to now!" Will responded.

"He couldn't have gotten too far, he probably just went to get some water to calm himself. Will, I'm going to find him, it'll only take a few minutes. Stay here with Holly and Crystal. I promise I'll be back." Rick said. He then went into the jungle in search of Enik hoping to find him not too far away.

Holly and Crystal sat quietly on the ground, and Will walked around keeping a watch. Holly was daydreaming of the possibility of going home. She missed California and her horses, she only hoped that someone had noticed they were gone and were feeding them and letting them run around like they should. _But, _she thought, _I suppose we could have been away only a day in my world, where here we have been here for a year!_ All the thinking about the time travel made Holly even wonder more about what it would be like returning.

Crystal had her knees drawn up to her chest and her head was strained and leaning against the rock. Her eyes were shut tight. She was a far cry from the girl that Holly had met near the stream who was jumping and talking about. Will walked up to her and sat down beside her.

"Are you feeling okay?" Will asked.

Crystal opened her eyes and looked at him. "I suppose. I guess my plan is not working out the way I had planned." She sighed and looked up at the sky.

"I don't think you ever told us, what exactly is, or, was your plan for coming here?" Will asked.

Crystal turned to look at Will. Her blue eyes shone as she talked. "I had come to see Enik, the Altrusian. As I know you can tell I seem very interested in him. He is sort of…..someone who I admire greatly. He has a great purpose in the Land of the Lost. He is turning point in this land." She then smiled. "Now, here comes the tricky part Will Marshall. Enik is a fixed point in the Land of the Lost. His presence here and the choice he makes determines a whole species outcome. Unfortunately, the time we are currently in now, is the time he will always be thrown into, this is the time he failed."

"But, how could he be here if he has already failed?" Will asked, confused about what Crystal was telling him.

"Here, maybe if I draw a picture in the sand." Crystal drew a line with two other lines forking out of it. "This," she pointed to the point right before the line forked off, "is Enik. This line," she pointed to a line that forked off, "is the timeline where the Altrusian race is saved from becoming Sleestak and go on to produce a better society than ever before with the help of emotion, love, and understanding that Enik will teach them. However this line," she pointed to the other line that forked off, "is the timeline where the Altrusian race breaks out into a self destructive war full of paranoia, hate, and anger that Enik has failed to save. Only the foolish and warlike survive and they degenerate into the Sleestak and live in this shell of a universe you see today. However in all the timelines, Enik must always first travel into the timeline where he has failed, even though he does not know it." She looked at Will. She read his mind and saw that most of it was sinking in and she knew in time he would understand. She looked away from Will into the distance. "He is a weary traveler who must make his own decisions based on those around him to save his entire kind. And he doesn't even know that in this world he has failed. He is also intelligent and has a way with the crystals and the pylons. So that is why I came. Why here and now, not so sure. I just needed to see someone who I have seen win and lose over a hundred thousand times."

Will and Crystal sat quietly staring at the rock filled with crystals in front of them. Holly looked over at them wondering what they had been talking about since only know she had tuned in.

"Huh. I never realized Enik was so important." Will finally said after his mind had made the most sense of it that he could.

"I don't think he does either." Crystal said to Will. "Promise me this however, that you will help him out. Just….help him understand morality and emotions. I do not wish to see him fail again. It breaks my heart…"

Will looked at Crystal. Her blue eyes gleamed. "I promise I'll do whatever I can."

"And you must never tell him about this, if he learns of this turning point in the timeline time could cease to exist since he is a fixed point. I probably should not have told you this, but you seem like someone I can trust." Crystal said.

"I will, don't worry about me. I promise to keep it a secret." Will smiled at her.

"Thank you Will. You are one of the most selfless and brave humans I have seen on my travels." She leaned against him. "I hope they get back soon, I do not know how much longer I can last."

Rick trampled through the jungle. "Enik!" he called. "Enik! Where are you? We need your help! Enik!"

He continued on like this for a good five minutes, when he heard a faint call back to him.

"Rick Marshall?" Enik's voice called back.

"Yes, where are you?" Rick Marshal asked. The voice was faint, like it was obscured by something.

"Rick Marshall, I am in the pylon near the rock pile and sand to your right." Enik responded.

Rick walked to his right, and sure enough he stood in the sand and next to a group of rocks stood the pylon. Enik stepped out of the pylon.

"Hello Rick Marshall, I apologize for leaving and I was planning to come back sooner. However as I was walking I came upon this pylon and it opened as I walked by. I found this very intriguing, especially upon learning from Crystal that these machines could possibly be alive, and I stepped inside. When I was inside the pylon, I noticed that the crystals on the matrix board were flashing bright then dim. It was making a distress call, like the pylon was making when the moons had stopped in the sky. But what is strange is, no crystals are missing. I looked at all of them and they all seem to be functioning properly, besides the distress sound." Enik explained to Rick.

"Are you sure that nothing was wrong?" Rick asked.

"Nothing that I can sense. Maybe, if we can get Crystal to come to the pylon she can sense what is wrong." Enik said.

"I'm not so sure about that, she is very weak and couldn't sense the crystals on the rocks. That's actually what I came to find you for. Now, you said you could produce a homeostasis state for her body." Rick Marshall said.

"That is correct." Enik responded.

"Well, I think we should do that sooner rather than later or she might not make it for another hour or so." Rick said.

"I shall fix her. It is a relatively quick process, so it will not deter much time from going on to explore this pylon." Enik said.

"And maybe after you fix her she will be able to figure out what is wrong with this pylon. And I have a growing suspicion that whatever weird that is going on in the Land of the Lost has to do with Crystal and is causing the pylon to be in distress. Let's get back." Rick Marshall said.

They both headed back towards the crystal rocks and left the pylon behind them.

"Hey look, it's Dad and Enik!" Holly said as she pointed to the two as they came into view.

"Good timing, Crystal isn't doing too well." Will said as he nudged Crystal awake, as she had her eyes closed and was still leaning on Will.

She sat up, opened her eyes and looked at Rick and Enik. "Hello. I am sorry I dosed off. I am just very tired."

"That's fine, I'm just glad to see you are still with us. Now, Enik can help stabilize your body but you are going to have stand up." Rick said to Crystal.

"Okay, I think I can manage that." Crystal said. She then slowly got up with Rick and Will helping her.

"So, what do you have to do to her Enik?" Holly asked.

"It is actually quite simple. I will draw out the energy from the crystals on the rocks and focus it into my pendant. Then I will place my hand on her and the energy from the pendant will focus into the crystals on my wrist then they should pass their energy into Crystal and her body will regain to how it was a few hours ago." Enik said. "So if you could bring her over here." 

Rick and Will helped Crystal over to Enik. "I'm fine, I can make it." Crystal said.

"Okay, I will start now." Enik said.

He took off the pendant that he wore around his neck and placed it near the crystals. He waved his hand over some of the crystals and their lights dimmed. As the lights on the crystals on the rocks dimmed the pendant grew brighter. He then put the pendant back around his neck and he brought his wrist up to the pendant. The light from the pendant quickly drew into the crystals on his wrist. He then gently placed his hand on Crystal's shoulder. The light faded from the wrist crystals and Crystal drew a quick breathe in.

"Did it work?" asked Holly.

"Just a minute." Enik responded. "Do you feel better, Crystal?"

She looked at Enik with her blue eyes and smiled. "Yes, much better. Thank you so much Enik."

Enik took his hand off of her shoulder. "You are most welcome."

"Now that you are better Crystal, Enik and I have found a pylon that ha blinking crystals and seems to be in a distress mode. We were wondering if you could check it out. We can deal with refueling the crystals in the matrix of Enik's cave after we solve this."

"Yes, sounds like I should. The pylons don't usually call out in distress unless they really need the help. Please, take me too it." Crystal said.

And with that confirmation, Rick, Will, Holly, Enik, and Crystal headed towards the pylon.


	11. Chapter 10

The walk to the pylon was short and went without anything happening. As soon as they arrived, the distress noise was still going and the pylon was still open.

"This is the pylon." Rick Marshall said.

"Yeah, we can tell! It's so noisy. I think everyone can tell that it needs help." Will said.

"Oh look! Even the crystals are blinking!" Holly observed.

"This is not good." Crystal said, as she walked inside the pylon. The Marshalls and Enik followed her inside.

The noise blared louder and the crystals blinked more frantically than before as they group approached the matrix.

"What's wrong with them? I've never seen them this upset!" Holly said.

"Crystal can you tell what's wrong?" Rick asked.

"Well, without even reading them I can tell by the way they are blinking in such a frenzied manner is clearly a sign for help. Or, a warning of trouble is near." Crystal walked up closer to the table and placed both of her hands on the crystals. "I can sense them!" She closed her eyes and her brow furrowed in concentration. "They seem to be giving off a sense of wrongness. Like, something should not be. Also a warning, but for who? It seems to be giving off directions…..to the lost city. A pit? But there is also a song of sadness….."

She took her hands off the crystals and the noise stopped, but they still blinked.

"Why did the noise stop?" Holly asked.

"I told them too, after the call has been heard it is not good for the signal to be going off. It means anything or anyone can hear it. And if they got into the wrong hands….well I am sure you have seen that happen before." Crystal answered.

"Only with the Sleestaks a few times." Will said.

"You said that you saw the lost city, do you think that perhaps this has to do with the Sleestak chasing us and with the matrix in my cave losing its power?" Enik asked.

"I think that would be a logical solution. But it could also mean another threat that we haven't even thought about." Crystal responded.

"So, what do we do now?" Holly asked her father.

Rick Marshall looked at everyone's faces and saw that they were staring at his. He ran a hand through his hair and then placed it on his hip. "Okay, well it seems that whatever this is it has to do with the earthquakes, Crystal's appearance, and the Lost City. I say that we head there and bring the extra crystals we got from the wall as defense against the sleestak. We should head back to Enik's cave and then make the rest of our plan there. Sound good everyone?"

Crystal and Enik shook their heads yes while Holly and Rick responded with a "Yep! Sure."

"Okay, then lets head there now." Rick said.

Rick was the first one heading out of the pylon with Crystal following close behind.

"Oh fat rats!"

"What, Holly?" Rick asked to her still in the pylon.

"I almost forgot my bag. I'm so silly!" Holly went back to get her bag and Will made sure that she got it.

"Everyone has everything?" Rick asked.

"Yes!" Holly responded.

"Okay then, now we are-AH!"

Sleestaks appeared out of nowhere and grabbed Rick and Crystal. Will, Holly, and Enik were still in the pylon.

"Sleestak! Holly, Will, stay back!" Rick called out.

"No Dada, here I'm coming to help!" Will said as he rushed to help fight off the sleestak with his Dad and Crystal. Enik grabbed him before he could reach the door.

"Enik! What are you doing? Let me go!" Will said as he struggled against Enik, who was surprisingly strong.

"Stay Will Marshall, for the pylon doorway is closing. If you stand it the way you could be split in half." Enik said.

"What?" Will said is exasperation.

Crystal looked at Enik and nodded her head and the pylon doorway began to close with him, Will, and Holly inside.

"No! DAD!" Holly said as she glimpsed her father and Crystal being taken away by the Sleestak.

The doorway faded to a close and Holly and Will were separated from their father unknowing what was to happen next.

"Enik, why didn't you let me go with them? I could have helped! Instead, you stopped me and let my Dad and Crystal get captured!" Will said shouting at Enik.

"Crystal had already sent me her plan in my mind and that was to save us by sacrificing herself and your father so that we may escape whatever fate that belays them." Enik replied calmly.

Will walked a little farther away and shook his head in frustration.

"It is what your father wanted. As soon as he saw that you would be safe, I could tell that he was relived at that. That is what his brain waves indicated." Enik said to Will, trying in his own way to make him feel better.

"What do we do now? The pylon doors do open on their own, but can we do it voluntarily? I remember when I was in the pylon that traveled it only opened when we reached a different location. And any other times we went into a pylon, it could only be opened or closed on the outside." Holly said.

"Pylons can be opened on the inside, it is just more difficult. But Crystal did say that the crystals respond to the people they are comfortable with. I know they respond to me, and I have heard that you two have had some experience with the weather skylons." Enik said.

"Yes! They did respond to us didn't they Will?"

"You're right Holly. We can do this!" Will said.

"Now, I think if we all gather around the matrix, with our hands on it and concentrate, we can open it." Enik said.

"Even though the lights are flashing? Will it still work even though they are in distress?" Holly asked.

"I think if what Crystal says is true and that they can read our minds, and sense our intentions, then they will help us open the door." Enik answered.

Enik stood in the middle of the matrix and Holly and Will stood on the opposite sides of him.

"Now what do we do?" Holly asked.

"Just, concentrate on that you want the door to open." Enik responded.

The three stood there concentrating on their goal. In about a minutes time the doorway slowly opened to let them out.

"Enik we did it!" Holly said. She hugged the Altrusian who stood there not sure how to respond.

"We need to be careful when we go out, the Sleestak could still be there!" Will said.

The three cautiously left the pylon and saw that there were no Sleestak present.

"It looks like we are safe for now." Will said.

"But how did they come out into the sunlight? It is still very bright out, and not a cloud in the sky." Holly observed.

"It is probably linked to the same way that they could come and attack us with their brain patterns undetected. Something is going on here that is very wrong, even for the Land of the Lost. I say we head towards the Lost City and find your father and Crystal and figure out what is going wrong." Enik said.

With that the three set off towards the Lost City.

* * *

><p>Rick and Crystal were in a net that hung over the pit to the Sleestak god. They were back to back. Two Sleestak stood watch over the pair to make sure that attempts of escape where prevented.<p>

"Well, this isn't the first time I've been in this mess of a trap." Rick mumbled.

"This is the first I have been captured! I must say, it is not as comfortable or fun as I imagined." Crystal said back.

A low rumble came from below the mist shrouded pit.

"I was down there once, I saved a 'good' sleestak named 'Slatch. I never knew what happened to him. I hope he has made a good life and is safe." Rick said.

"I am betting he is fine. Although, I do not know if you will see him again." Crystal turned her head so that her face was to the side of Rick's. "Rick Marshall, I have sensed that you have recognized my, somewhat suspicious behavior. And I know, you haven't quite trusted me. And maybe you were right to do so." She turned her head back. "Rick Marshall, can you keep a secret?"

"Yes, I think I can." Rick Marshall said.

"I….I shouldn't be telling you this. It is a constant that always happens here. And it involves you. It changes the direction of the timeline of this land. I feel compelled to tell you, for I have made a friend in you and you have been so very kind to me."

"Crystal, it's okay you can tell me. If it can help me or my family in any way, I want to know."

"Rick Marshall. You are such a great man in this land. Very important. But, your time here, in this land and dimension, is coming to an end. "

"What do you mean? Am I going to die…?" Rick asked.

"We all do that someday. But, no, you just leave the Land of the Lost. There will be an earthquake, one even bigger than the one that brought you here. You will be on the verge on finding a way home for you and your family inside a new pylon that you will find. While you are in there, the earthquake will strike, sending you away from this Land." Crystal said.

Rick was silent and just stared off into the distance.

"Rick Marshall I lied to you when I said that I couldn't see your future in the Land of the Lost. I focused on you, thinking that that would tell me you and your family's future, but I just got the vision of you leaving. I couldn't face you after that. All I saw was you leaving and I not knowing, that scared me."

"My children. They'll be alone." He put his hands over his face. "Crystal that can't be true, my children need me here! I mean look at the situation we're in! How could they be in this without me? Do you know if they'll be safe? Can you see that at least?"

"I have a sense that they will be cared for, but why and by whom, this is unknown. But Rick Marshall, you must promise me, that you will _never_ tell anyone. Not Will, Holly, Enik, nor anyone else. If you do there can and will be major complications. I am sorry to burden you, but I feel it is for the best."

"I promise." Rick Marshall said as he stared into the wall that faced him with his daunting thoughts and listened to the low rumbles that came from the pit below.


End file.
